A field of seven go to the 1m start for the Sussex Stakes at 3.05pm on Wednesday 30th July and all eyes will be on the superstar three-year-old Field Of Gold, who is looking to enhance his already lofty reputation and claim Group 1 glory on day two of Glorious Goodwood. We take a look at the big race of the day and pick our 1-2-3 for what should be a superb contest.
Favourites
Having failed to reel in Ruling Court in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, Field Of Gold was on a comeback mission when sent over to Ireland for the Irish 2000 Guineas. However, the John & Thady Gosden-trained son of Kingman showed his brilliance with a three-and-three-quarter length annihilation of Cosmic Year to stamp his authority in the mile division. He then went to Royal Ascot and duly sauntered to victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes and is now set to take on the older horses for the first time. The galloping grey pulled well clear of Henri Matisse at Ascot and that pair will do battle again here, and it’s hard to not see the same result here. William Buick takes the ride on Field Of Gold with Colin Keane out, but the former champion jockey should be able to keep his mount off the pace before unleashing his stunning turn of foot and he could well put the race to bed in a matter of a few strides, if replicating his last two runs.
Aidan O’Brien has won this race on six occasions and he will be looking for Henri Matisse to improve on that recent clash with Field Of Gold, but the Ballydoyle three-year-old is up against it. A winner of the French Guineas earlier in the season, the son of Wootton Bassett was no match for the Gosden charge at Ascot and it’s going to be a tough ask to turn it around here. Richard Hannon’s Rosallion will be the leading fancy for the older generation and the four-year-old will be looking to claim his first win this season. A winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes himself last season, Hannon’s raider was last seen just being touched off by Docklands in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and he will need to improve on that effort to give weight away to the three-year-olds here.
Outsiders
A shock winner of the aforementioned Queen Anne Stakes, Docklands will be looking to follow up that first Group 1 prize, but Harry Eustace’s stable star will be up against it. Sixth in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes on his sole visit to Goodwood, he looks to be a performer that just sparkles at Ascot, so a switch away from that track could see him struggle here.
A Grade 1 winner in America, Carl Spackler could only finish sixth of ten in the Queen Anne Stakes when well backed, so he will need to improve on that effort here to stand any chance of playing a part in the finish. The remaining two contenders could have pacemaking duties with the supplemented Qirat likely to set the pace for Field Of Gold, while Serengeti will be looking to aid Henri Matisse and lines up for the O’Brien team. Both are huge prices to land the prize and on all form will find this tough.
2025 Sussex Stakes Tips
It’s an intriguing renewal of the Sussex Stakes, but if FIELD OF GOLD turns up in the same fashion he has all season then he can duly storm to victory here and cement his place as the leading miler in training. Rosallion and Henri Matisse should fill up the rest of the placings and it can be the hugely consistent Rosallion that finishes second, with the Irish raider Henri Matisse back in third.
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